WAS YOUR EASTER SERMON EFFECTIVE? 6 ELEMENTS TO HELP YOU EVALUATE AND KNOW

WAS YOUR EASTER SERMON EFFECTIVE? 6 ELEMENTS TO HELP YOU EVALUATE AND KNOW

Lisa Cressman 

 April 2, 2018

You worked hard on your Easter sermon and you hope it worked. 

But was it effective? Beyond hearing the occasional "Good sermon, Pastor" as parishioners left the church building, how would you know?

If you're dedicated to improving your craft, now is an excellent time to review your Easter sermon. It's probably still fresh in your mind, but you've also got a little distance so you can appraise it more objectively.

What did work?

What might you have done differently?

What you can you take away from this Easter's sermon so next year's (next week's!) will be even more effective?

Backstory Preaching's definition of an effective sermon is:

“A clear message of Good News, authentic to the preacher, relevant to the listeners, holding their attention and inviting transformation.

As you read through this post, consider your Easter sermon in light of these six elements. Make notes about what worked, what didn't, what you should emulate next time, and what you should you do differently.

And if you really want to dive into this self-reflection, listen to or watch a recording of your sermon with these ideas in mind. You're sure to see and hear the good, the bad, and the in-progress.

1) CLEAR MESSAGE

In one short, complete sentence, can you summarize what you intended to say?

A clear message is concise and to the point. It conveys a specific meaning which can be readily repeated as a single statement and understood on its own.

Are you able to identify this statement? If so, how closely did your sermon come to staying on message?

2) GOOD NEWS

The defining element that separates an "inspirational message" from a "sermon" is Good News.

Easter is a pretty easy Sunday to express Good News since it's the best news we ever hear: "The Lord is risen! The Lord is risen, indeed! Alleluia!"

Beyond that obvious declaration of the Gospel, how did you express the Good News of Jesus' resurrection from death? What Good News did you want your particular listeners to take away and share with others? What aspect of the Good News did you hope they placed in their hearts?

Now, what did you actually say?

Do these two answers align?

3) AUTHENTIC TO THE PREACHER

To be blunt, do you believe what you said?

Whatever aspect of the Good News you focused on, did it come from your heart, your faith, your trust in God? Did you say something you truly hope everyone who listened to you will believe just as much?

I ask because, after preaching the resurrection more times than we can count, we can take these extraordinary words or truths for granted. We can preach them out of habit, falling back on cliché instead of first pausing to ponder whether we still really believe those words are true.

An effective sermon comes from our deep, soul-level knowing of the Living God. This authenticity resonates with our listeners' deep, soul-level knowing of the same. 

Did you preach something you really, deep-down believe?

4) RELEVANT TO THE LISTENERS

Really, truly, concretely—what difference does the Gospel make to your listeners?

The Gospel is relevant when listeners discover how how it offers meaning, sense, direction, or genuine hope for their actual, in-the-world, complicated, messy lives.

After all, there are millions of people who live perfectly contented lives because they find no intersection between the Gospel story and their own stories. But an encounter with the Gospel—a true intersection of Good News and humanity—produces change.

God speaking into the void. Christ in the manger. The Holy Spirit in the hospital room or the broken relationship or the seemingly irredeemable reality yearning for resurrection. 

Did you name and explore the intersection between the Gospel and your listeners' lives?

5) HOLDING THEIR ATTENTION

Easter Sunday is probably a harder Sunday than most to hold listeners' attention!

Children are antsy, there's glorious music and lots of it, and our "Christmas and Easter" attenders may only be warming the pews to make their mothers happy. With that much distraction, what's a preacher to do?

Clarity of message goes a long way, as does relevance.

When we say what we mean and mean something that makes a difference to the hearers, we don't have to get fancy.

Plain language, leading listeners smoothly from one thought to the next, and an anecdote that brings the Good News from the tomb into their living rooms is sufficient.

Did your listeners stay with you from beginning to end?

6) INVITES TRANSFORMATION

After Jesus told Mary Magdalene to go and tell the disciples that he was ascending to his Father and theirs, Jesus had to hope that she would.

Jesus had to hope she would bring his news to the others because she had the choice to keep the encounter to herself. Even though she was the first human in history Jesus entrusted to witness his resurrection, and she was the first in human in history asked to carry and tell that news, she wasn't forced to do so.

When she chose to say yes, she was changed in the telling.

Our listeners hear the Good News. They hear it proclaimed in Scripture. They see it in the living Body of Christ gathered. They taste it in consecrated bread and wine.

But they don't have to say yes to any of it. Why should they? They are not coerced to carry this Good News out the door to anyone else or even as far as their own hearts.

Why is God inviting our listeners to say yes to the Good News?

There's something better about living the Good News than not living it. When we say yes to God, Good News happens in us, to us, and through us!

Not abstractly. Not vaguely. Not theoretically. But really. How will a person will live differently, see differently, or be different as a result of believing the Gospel as expressed in your sermon?

Was that invitation compellingly offered?

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Working together to make our sermons ever more effective is what we do at Backstory Preaching. Blog posts like this one, e-courses, camps, coaching, and weekly sermon prep support on our Facebook page are designed to help preachers become more confident, joyful, and effective in their craft. 

And beginning April 16th, we're introducing a new way to collaborate and grow—and you're invited to say "Yes!"

INTRODUCING THE COLLECTIVE

The Backstory Preaching Collective collects into one ongoing preaching lab the elements needed to become more effective preachers, all online.

We're pulling together sermon prep and planning, collegiality and conversation, spirituality and support with lectures and learning, for perpetual inspiration and growth.

We'll:

• get weekly sermons done on time using a spiritual approach to deepen your relationship with God
• look ahead seasonally at the lectionary
• specially prepare for the high holy days
• hear from and talk with preaching professors, authors, and other thinkers who can take our preaching to the next level
• plus, we'll have the chance to integrate what we learn and put it into practice.
• And (just because it sounds cliché doesn't mean it isn't true) a whole lot more!

THE BACKSTORY PREACHING COLLECTIVE OPENS APRIL 16TH.

CREDIT:  BACK STORY PREACHING

2. USEFUL RESOURCES FOR EFFECTIVE SERMONS

Useful materials for sermon preparations

Ancient proverb • “He who knows and knows that he knows, is a master. • He who knows and does not know that he knows, needs a teacher. • He who does not know and knows that he does know, needs love. • He who does not know and knows that he does not know, is lost. ”

Do things right…

Who is a good preacher? • A good talker is not necessarily a good preacher • A poor talker is not necessarily a poor preacher • A good preacher is: who knows and loves Christ, knows and loves people and is willing to work hard to bring the two together

Biblical Preachers Spend Time with the Bible • Ellen White warns: "It is a sin to be neglectful the study of the Word while attempting to teach it to others" (Gospel Workers p. 99).

Biblical Preachers Apply the Bible to Themselves • They plead that God will speak to them before He speaks through them to others. • They approach the Bible story as participants not just spectators.

Know Your Tools • • Bible Versions Bible Reference Books Ellen White Books Know Your Preparation Takes Time. • The old rule of thumb is one hour in study for one minute in the pulpit. • Realistically, most preachers probably spend 10 to 20 hours preparing a 30 minute sermon.

The process of studying: • • • Be interested Ask questions Search for answers Answer questions Present the questions and answers in order to help others Observe…

Reading • Read it for yourself • Let the Gospel touch your own life • Believe the Bible works • Spend time with your Bible • NIV 2 Timothy 2: 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

 The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives. -- D. L. Moody, Leadership, Vol. 9, no. 2.

Journaling • As you study the Word write in your journal ideas and applications meaningful and exciting to you • The secret of interesting sermons: we interest others by that which exceedingly interests us • Journaling helps us focusing on the target

Use and involve your senses • • • Take one story from your Bible! 

A. What do you see? 

B. What do you hear? 

C. What can you smell? 

D. What taste can you feel? 

E. What can you feel on your skin? 

• Put together the story! 

• Write a letter to Jesus in your Journal

Setting up your library • 

Shelf 1. Reference books: – – • • • Dictionaries, concordances Bible versions Bible atlases Pastor’s manual 

Shelf 2. Spirit of Prophecy books 

Shelf 3 -4. Old and New Testament books 

Shelf 5. Doctrines 

Shelf 6. Sermons and Sermon preparation 

Shelf 7. Magazines 

Shelf 8 -12. Theology, Philosophy, Music, Counselling, Work of the Pastor

Use other resources Newspapers/Radio/TV/Internet Public Libraries Theological Institutions Research Institutions Scholars and leaders of the Church • Be connected to the World • • •

Pray, Study, Preach • Pray before you begin your study • Pray while you are studying • Pray while you are preaching • Powerful preaching is prayed down, not worked up • Bathe your study and preaching in prayer

Know your people and listeners • Study your people • Know their thoughts, desires, plans, problems • Get closer to them • Get lectures on Anthropology, Psychology

Illustrations. . . • Importance of Illustrations were emphasized in Jesus' preaching. • Illustrations help hold attention. • Illustrations motivate by adding emotion to your logic. • Illustrations help listeners retain truth longer. • Bible principles are the nail in the sermon, illustrations are the hummer

Purpose • a. Illustrations are not to clarify truth to the mind, but primarily to the heart: illustrate – is to primarily motivate, not to clarify • b. Explanation proves the truth • c. Illustrations are intended to root the truth in the life of a believer – i. illustrating should primarily be for application versus explanation – ii. ground listener in the mind, emotion, and will to experience what it would be like to see this truth in their lives. – iii. It does not have to be contemporary, it could be historical • d. Life-situations reflect real problems and common emotions

How to use illustrations? • Be sure that the illustration illustrates. • Illustrations must be easily understood. Like a good joke, too much explanation indicates a lack of clarity or a lack of illustration. • Illustrations need to be credible. Make sure that you get the facts correct. • Personal illustrations help your audience identify, but the illustration should be modest, true, and discreet. Moreover, it’s wise to follow the advice of Howard Hendricks: “People will learn more from your struggles than your victories. ” • Tell an illustration instead of reading it. • Do not use an illustration that has more impact than the big idea of the sermon.

Important! • The power of the sermon is never in the illustration. The power of the sermon is in the Word of God.

Use of illustrations • The sermon illustration is a story that may be used to help illuminate a Biblical truth. • dullness is no longer regarded as an indication of either a profound mind or a pious heart • The day has passed when people will scratch their heads and lift their hands in admiration over a sermon which is "so deep" that they cannot understand it. • It is no longer a crime to have a style that can be at once comprehended.

 There is no place where clearness and simplicity are more absolutely imperative than in the pulpit. • the use of the sermon illustration helps the sermon to win. • The preacher is a messenger from God; he has good news to tell. • The messenger must appear in him.

The preacher is a story-teller • The man who can not tell a story well should go to school to learn from somebody who can teach him, if he wants to be a successful preacher. • There is a true sense in which the preacher's whole mission is to tell the story of Jesus. • To tell a story well you must appeal to the imagination. • You can never greatly stir men's hearts without this appeal to the imagination.

The power of stories • In their own time men like Liddon and Spurgeon and Farrar and Pearse and Simpson and Phillips Brooks and Beecher and Moody and Talmage have been the men who knew the power of talking in pictures. Great preachers of today know the power of the sermon illustration as well. • Sermons are weak which do not have a sermon illustration or two or three, to let the light into them and illuminate them.

Jesus • By using effectively and wisely illustrations and stories we are following the footsteps of our Master and attracting and holding the attention of the multitude by a skillful use of parables.

Effective Sermon Illustration The One-Paragraph Story 

Sentence #1: Provide a setting. 

Sentence #2: Develop a problem/conflict. 

Sentence #3: Lead to a climax. Make your people wonder what will happen. 

• Sentence #4: The resolution. 

• Sentence #5: Show the audience how the illustration exposes their fallen condition in a similar manner as your sermon text. 

• Sentence #6: Demonstrate how the Triune God saves the day in the gospel. • •

Some good advises • Get to the point and do not dwell on the story. • Use a variety of illustrations over time. • Keep the illustrations simple, with just the right level of detail. • Use illustrations sparingly.

Things are not always they seam to be. . .

Suggested materials • www. sermonillustrations. com • www. preachingtoday. com/find-sermonillustrations • You. Tube – Vintage Values – video sermon illustrations – especially parables of Jesus